This column addresses Principle 3, “Promote choice and affordability in housing options,” and is written by Tom Parsons, a Vital Communities Steering Committee member and Fire Lieutenant with the City of Ithaca Fire Department.

We are fortunate that Tompkins County offers a variety of living experiences to its residents.  The types of housing choices in a particular neighborhood or community can have a significant impact on the uniqueness and character of the local community.  In Tompkins County, we can live in an apartment in downtown Ithaca, a duplex on South Hill, a new house in Lansing, a manufactured home in Enfield, an historic home in Trumansburg, or a farmhouse in Caroline. The Vital Communities Initiative wants to safeguard these choices, rather than developing a “one size fits all” approach to future housing development.

Many of the residents of Tompkins County have fixed incomes or low to moderate incomes. The cost of housing, and the related property taxes, can be particularly burdensome for these people.  It’s not uncommon for a single person rental unit in Collegetown to cost as much as $900 per month.  Even in the downtown areas of the City a renter’s housing costs could be as much as $400 per bedroom.

Some programs have already been established to provide better housing choices for people with low or moderate incomes.  For example, Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services within the City of Ithaca, and Better Housing for Tompkins County outside the City boundaries, have been effectively combining public and private funds to help low to moderate income people purchase their first home. Many local communities, including Groton, Lansing, Trumansburg, Newfield, Caroline, and Dryden, have recognized the need for increased affordable elderly housing.  These communities have encouraged the development of elderly housing units within their communities to allow residents who no longer wish to remain in their own homes the choice to stay in that community so that they can maintain close relationships with family, friends, and social and religious organizations.

Another affordable housing option is manufactured housing. For some of our residents, this is the only option available to them for owning their own home. Manufactured housing, just like other forms of housing, can be developed in a way that promotes the establishment of strong neighborhoods. And it provides another choice for our residents.

The Vital Communities Initiative also seeks to increase owner-occupied housing within our neighborhoods. Our community will always have a relatively high proportion of rental units due to our transient student population.  In fact, according to the 2000 Census, there has been a 1.5% shift from owner occupied housing units to renter occupied housing units in Tompkins County in the past 10 years.  This is compared to a 0.8% state-wide shift towards more owner occupied housing units in the same 10 years.  In the City of Ithaca, with its substantial student population, 74% of the dwellings are now renter occupied.  While this trend cannot be attributed to any one cause, it is likely related to an increase in transient residents as well as the costs of owning a home in Tompkins County.  Although the City of Ithaca’s planning efforts and County programs, such as the first time home-ownership program, strive to meet the needs of Tompkins County residents, additional efforts are needed to increase the amount of owner-occupied housing in the County and to secure the identity of established neighborhoods and communities in Tompkins County.

Housing options, choices, and affordability are a concern to many.  The Tompkins County Vital Communities Initiative tries to address housing with a balanced approach and the adoption of Development and Preservation Principles will help guide interested organizations and people in their efforts to make our community a desirable place to live.